Frankston City Council - Indigenous Communities

A number of programs and strategies are offered by Council, including but not limited to:

Cultural Heritage

The traditional owners of land in and around Frankston are the Bunurong (also spelt Boonerwrung) and the Boon Wurrung people. The country of the traditional owners extends from the Weribee Creek to the Tarwin River and Wilson's Promontory.

The traditional owners are one of thirty tribes which occupied Victoria. It is estimated that the traditional owners lived in the area from as far back as 40,000 years ago.

The traditional owners were hunter-gathers, living on the natural produce existing in the area. Men hunted and women gathered plants. People ate local animals, plants, fish and shellfish. They did not use boats, but fished from shallow waters using nets.

Life was seasonal, with the availability of different plants and animals varying throughout the year. The Frankston foreshore and Kananook Creek area provided an ideal place to fish and hunt as it had seafood and saltwater plants as well as freshwater fish and eels. The Kananook Creek also provided drinking water, encouraged animals to the area and nourished other plants and trees.

Ingredients for medicine and painting, materials for clothing and implements for activities such as hunting and aids for carrying babies were found locally or traded with neighbouring tribes.

The traditional culture of Indigenous people is resilient and is characterised by strong recognition and valuing of the roles of elders and traditional customs, such as reciprocity and a shared vision of community. The strength and resilience of the Indigenous culture provides a sound basis for developing a sustainable community in the long term.

Network and Committees

Inter-Council Aboriginal Consultative Committee

The vision of ICACC is to achieve and enhance respect, recognition, reconciliation, equity and health and well-being for Aboriginal people. The focus of the work of ICACC is linking Aboriginal communities to the broader community, identifying needs and gaps in services. ICACC also aims to improve the cultural awareness of mainstream services to make them more accessible to the Aboriginal community.

Member councils represented on ICACC include Bass Coast Shire, Cardinia Shire Council, City of Casey, City of Greater Dandenong, City of Kingston, Frankston City Council, Knox City Council and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.

ICACC was formed in 1997 out of an initiative by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and was established by a group of eight local government councils, Aboriginal organisations, service providers and Aboriginal community members who have come together to address issues affecting the Aboriginal community within the region.

Local Indigenous Network

The Local Indigenous Network (LIN) is made up of Indigenous community members who work together to provide a voice for their community, identify local issues and priorities and plan for the future. The LIN structure is being coordinated by State government with the responsible department being Aboriginal Affairs Victoria.

Across Victoria LINs are now meeting regularly and building their community membership and participation. LIN membership is open to all local Indigenous community members.

Each LIN develops a local community plan to map assets and set out the vision, aspirations and priorities for their local community.

LINs are involved in many activities. These include community events and gatherings, building relationships with local service providers and organisations, linking with local government planning, working with Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups, increasing youth participation, planning and supporting community initiatives such as men's groups, homework centre's and cultural identity projects.

LIN members are also involved in training and professional development to build their own capability and the capacity of their community. Grant applications, governance training and event management are some of the areas being explored by LIN members.

National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee

The National Indigenous day began as a Day of Mourning, which was held prior to Australia Day from 1940 to 1955.

The protest marches that preceded the Day of Mourning are recognised as being amongst the first major civil rights gatherings of modern times, and they saw thousands of people march through the streets of Sydney.

However, it was decided that a national aboriginal day should be a celebration, rather than just a protest.

And so, in 1957, NAIDOC - or NADOC as it was then - was born as a week long celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures.

NAIDOC Week is also a time the indigenous community can celebrate their survival and continuation of their culture and invite the wider community to share in these celebrations.

Useful Websites

Contact Us

For further information contact the Community Development Team on (03) 9784 1778.